Headmistress' Introduction

Dear Parents, Carers, and Students 

It has been a busy and productive week here at AHS, as we move toward the end of term. 

We welcommed the Spanish Exchange students and teachers to AHS this week; they are hugely welcome, and our thanks to the hosting families. 

On Tuesday we held another successful Parents' Afternoon, focused on our Upgrade programme, helping our parents support their daughters as they prepare for the exam season. Our sincere thanks to parents and staff who attended; particular thanks to Mrs Medley for presenting so ably on a topic close to her heart. We will continue to offer these afternoons because feedback is so positive and we encourage parents and carers to attend if at all possible.

We are very proud of everyone who took part in the Technology Rotary Tournament. A massive well done especially to our Year 7 and Year 9 teams. Year 7 who won the Foundation stage and Year 9 picked up the award for the strongest portfolio out of everyone competing.  An account of the event has been shared below. 

We also want to share a huge well done to Vivienne for her amazing performances at recent local music festivals; you can see the details of her achievements below. 

Finally, our students put in a brilliant performance at the Mock Magistrates Trial Competition. The competition was incredibly tough, but they achieved a fantastic second place, and are through to the next round.  Well done to all students and staff!

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter break!  Please make sure that all revising students balance their exam preparation with time with friends and family, getting outside and enjoying the Spring 🌷🌷🌷

Sport

Netball 

The U12 and U13 netball squads concluded their season this week with the end-of-season tournaments.

U13 A Team: Finished in 1st place. The team maintained a consistently high standard of play throughout the tournament to secure a well-deserved win.

U13 B Team: Finished 4th overall. They performed well in a challenging round, winning the majority of their matches.

U12 A Team: Finished in 1st place. The team produced a brilliant performance throughout the day to secure the tournament title.

U12 B Team: Finished in 5th place, showing good effort and progress to end the season.

These results reflect the depth of talent and the hard work put in by all players across both year groups this term.

Mrs Colclough

PE Technician 

Could you offer a work experience placement?

You may have seen in the media that the government is asking schools to work with employers to increase students’ experiences of the workplace. We are continuing to explore different ways to develop our offering in this area. Our Year 12 students will be completing a work experience placement from 29 June-1 July, while we have introduced a term-time work experience placement for Year 10 students from 2-3 July. We would love to hear from anyone who could host an AHS student for some work experience. Please contact Michelle Sutton (msutton@ahs.bucks.sch.uk) if you would like to find out more about this.

M Sutton
Next Steps and Careers Lead

After-school Trampolining

Places available Monday's  & Tuesday's

Come and enjoy learning a new skill with no experience needed. Taught by a qualified coach. Its fun & sociable as well as being something new to try! All year groups are welcome & if your doing your Duke Of Edinburgh award, Tracy is an accessor too.

This specialised activity is payable with limited place available.

For further information, please contact Tracy on 07956 154949

Reporting Absences and Medical Appointments

Please make sure you are reporting absences and medical appointments on either EduLink or on the absence line 01296 388230. If you have any issues getting onto EduLink please contact the school office and we can look into getting this fixed. 

Please ensure your child is aware to meet you in Reception for any medical appointments.

For last minute medical appointments please call the school office as this may not be picked up in time if reported on EduLink or on the absence line. Please note we cannot easily track students down during breaks 11:10 -11:30 and 13:30 - 14:30. 

Mrs Queralt
Deputy Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead

Parent Governor Election 

Our Parent Governor election remains open until 30th March at 4.00pm. If you haven’t yet had a chance to participate, you can cast your vote online here. As a reminder, each parent or carer within a family is entitled to one vote. 

Holiday Wellbeing: Finding a Healthy Digital Balance

While some of our students will be spending some time revising for upcoming exams over the next few weeks, we hope they will be able to join themajority of our students in having some much needed downtime. This may include spending time with friends and family, getting outside and enjoying activities. Some students may turn to their screens and while the internet offers fantastic opportunities for creativity and connection, the lack of a typical school routine can sometimes lead to ‘screen creep’—where time spent on devices gradually replaces other vital activities like sleep, physical movement, and face-to-face family time.

Looking after our mental wellbeing is just as important during the holidays as it is during term time. Research consistently shows that taking intentional breaks from screens can improve sleep quality, reduce stress, and help young people feel more present in the real world. It isn’t about banning technology, but rather about balance and self-regulation.

To help facilitate these conversations at home, I highly recommend the Childnet Family Agreement. This is a simple, collaborative framework designed to help families agree on clear expectations for positive and safe internet use. Rather than a list of 'don'ts' imposed by parents, the agreement works best as a discussion. It covers:

Agreeing on when and where devices are used (e.g., "tech-free" mealtimes or bedrooms).

Refreshing knowledge on privacy settings and what is okay to share.

Reminding everyone of the importance of being a good friend online.

Ensuring your daughter knows who to turn to if she sees something upsetting.

You can download the free template and find conversation starters here. There are also some additional useful resources here:

Anna Freud's My Self-Care Plan helps teenagers identify "self-care" activities that actually work for them, categorised into physical, emotional, and social tasks—most of which are offline

Girlguiding's 101 fun screen-free activities

We wish all our students and their families a refreshing, safe, and happy holiday.

Mrs Harriet Queralt, Pastoral Deputy Head and DSL

With thanks, as ever, for your support. We look forward to seeing all staff and students back at school on Monday 13th April at 0845 am.

Marieke Forster